•Alex Otti
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has promised collaboration with other South East governors to enhance the facilities at the Nigeria Law School in Enugu.
In a press statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, made available to the media, Otti made this known during a meeting of the South East Law Development Initiative (SELDI) at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Government House, Umuahia.
The governor was responding to a request by the coordinator of the group, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, who is also the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, reports Daily Independent.
Chief Ngige, who appealed for support for the Enugu Campus of the Nigerian Law School, noted that some of its existing facilities are in a deplorable condition.
In response, Governor Otti requested Chief Ngige to formally write to the Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum and copy him, so that he could engage his colleagues in the region on possible collective intervention to address the inadequate infrastructure and deteriorating facilities at the institution.
While commending lawyers for their critical role as the “last hope of the common man,” Governor Otti encouraged legal practitioners to actively participate in politics.
He emphasised that politics should not be left solely in the hands of individuals who rely on it as their primary source of livelihood.
The governor, who made a brief stop at the meeting while on his way to the reception of his kid sister’s wedding from the Church service, appreciated the contributions of legal practitioners to society.
“Thank you for what you do for our people. Anyhow you slice and dice it, without the gentlemen of the bar, of course, extending to the bench, the hope of the common man would be dashed.
“We might not have gotten it right, but just the mere fact that when somebody is oppressed, when somebody is treated unfairly, when somebody feels that his rights have been breached, he has somewhere to go. And that is about hope,” Gov Otti stated.
Speaking further on political participation, Gov Otti urged professionals, whether from Imo, Enugu, Anambra, or elsewhere, to take an active interest in governance.
“Because we have agreed that politicians are people who should be described in a particular way, all of us stayed away. Little did we know that the decision of the politicians affects you one way or the other, in determining what happens to you,” Otti added.
Quoting the Greek philosopher Plato, the governor noted that one of the penalties the wise, educated, and smart pay for refusing to participate in politics is being governed by less competent individuals. He went on to say that when such happens, you have lost the right to complain.
“So, we want to see some of us who have second addresses, people who don’t depend on politics to feed. Those are the people who should participate in politics,” Otti stated.
He also expressed appreciation to the senior lawyers for their commendation of his administration’s achievements, stating that, though they met a very bad situation upon assuming office, what was important to him was not what he met on the ground but where his administration is taking the State.
Earlier in his speech, Chief Emeka Ngige thanked the Governor for attending the meeting despite his tight schedule.
He explained that SELDI is a meeting of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) from the Southeast, established to advance the legal profession in the region and to provide advisory support upon request.
Members of the group commended Gov Otti for his visible infrastructural strides, noting that they had personally witnessed the impactful achievements across the State through the roads they plied and other things they have seen.
They also pledged to offer pro bono legal services to support the state government.
The Abia State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN, was among the senior lawyers from the State present at the meeting.
